Sunday, June 19, 2011
Young Athlete's League
Thirty years ago we went to our very first Young Athletes League match.
It was at Rochester.
It was an excited Monk family who joined other families on the coach and a new world began to open up for us.
We have met so many people who became friends.
Jamie competed as a 12 year old sprinter for the Crawley team.
I remember that Bill and I helped with the judging of the javelin competitions - and I remember that it rained.
Ashley was not, at that time old enough to compete for the team - but that changed by the next year.
The start of the Under 13s 200 metres.
A few weeks later Ashley was winning a race at a Crawley Open meeting.
Life in the world of Young Athletes continues much the same today - but with one big difference.
At some point, I forget when, it was decided to amalgamate the boys and girls into one team.
The tracks have changed - no longer the rough cinders of old.
Gosh, we all thought it was such a thrill to go to the Brighton track in those days, the first in Sussex to have an artificial all weather surface.
The boys today were wearing the same vest as Jamie - black with gold hoops.
I really can't remember the result of that first YAL match we went to.
I can tell you that today Crawley won their match.
Today we were a happy group of timekeepers - all of us friends already.
I looked after the team - all men.
I was up and down the steps - into the recorders' room with our times. Hope I don't get cramp!
And one blessed difference between today and that day 30 years ago in Rochester was the weather.
The clouds made some attempts at creating showers, but the showers came to nothing. There were spells when it felt really warm.
It was at Rochester.
It was an excited Monk family who joined other families on the coach and a new world began to open up for us.
We have met so many people who became friends.
Jamie competed as a 12 year old sprinter for the Crawley team.
I remember that Bill and I helped with the judging of the javelin competitions - and I remember that it rained.
Ashley was not, at that time old enough to compete for the team - but that changed by the next year.
The start of the Under 13s 200 metres.
Life in the world of Young Athletes continues much the same today - but with one big difference.
At some point, I forget when, it was decided to amalgamate the boys and girls into one team.
The tracks have changed - no longer the rough cinders of old.
Gosh, we all thought it was such a thrill to go to the Brighton track in those days, the first in Sussex to have an artificial all weather surface.
The boys today were wearing the same vest as Jamie - black with gold hoops.
I really can't remember the result of that first YAL match we went to.
I can tell you that today Crawley won their match.
Today we were a happy group of timekeepers - all of us friends already.
I looked after the team - all men.
I was up and down the steps - into the recorders' room with our times. Hope I don't get cramp!
And one blessed difference between today and that day 30 years ago in Rochester was the weather.
The clouds made some attempts at creating showers, but the showers came to nothing. There were spells when it felt really warm.
Labels: athletics
